''Mariah Carey's Magical Christmas Special'' is a

Christmas special Christmas themes have long been an inspiration to artists and writers. A prominent aspect of Christian media, the topic first appeared in in literature and Christmas music. Filmmakers have picked up on this wealth of material, with both adaptatio ...

starring

Mariah Carey Mariah Carey (; born March 27, 1969) is an American singer, songwriter, actress, and record producer. Referred to as the " Songbird Supreme", she is noted for her five-octave vocal range, melismatic singing style and signature use of the w ...

that premiered on December 4, 2020, on

Apple TV+ Apple TV+ is an American subscription streaming service owned and operated by Apple Inc. Launched on November 1, 2019, it offers a selection of original production film and television series called Apple Originals. The service was announced ...

. It was directed by

Hamish Hamilton Hamish Hamilton Limited was a British book publishing house, founded in 1931 eponymously by the half- Scot half-American Jamie Hamilton (''Hamish'' is the vocative form of the Gaelic Seumas eaning James ''James'' the English form – which w ...

and Roman Coppola and executive-produced by Hamilton, Coppola, Carey, Ian Stewart, Raj Kapoor and Ashley Edens. The special centers around a holiday crisis in which the

North Pole The North Pole, also known as the Geographic North Pole or Terrestrial North Pole, is the point in the Northern Hemisphere where the Earth's axis of rotation meets its surface. It is called the True North Pole to distinguish from the Ma ...

has to call

Santa Claus Santa Claus, also known as Father Christmas, Saint Nicholas, Saint Nick, Kris Kringle, or simply Santa, is a legendary figure originating in Western Christian culture who is said to bring children gifts during the late evening and overnigh ...

's friend,

, to help. The special features guest stars including

Ariana Grande Ariana Grande-Butera ( ; born June 26, 1993) is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. Her four-octave vocal range has received critical acclaim, and her personal life has been the subject of widespread media attention. She has received ...

Jennifer Hudson Jennifer Kate Hudson (born September 12, 1981), also known by her nickname J.Hud, is an American singer, actress, and talk show host. Throughout her career, she has received various accolades for her works in recorded music, film, televisio ...

and

Snoop Dogg Calvin Cordozar Broadus Jr. (born October 20, 1971), known professionally as Snoop Dogg (previously Snoop Doggy Dogg and briefly Snoop Lion), is an American rapper. His fame dates back to 1992 when he featured on Dr. Dre's debut solo single, " ...

. A soundtrack was released exclusively on

Apple Music Apple Music is a music, audio and video streaming service developed by Apple Inc. Users select music to stream to their device on-demand, or they can listen to existing playlists. The service also includes the Internet radio stations Appl ...

the day of the premiere and was released on other platforms a week later. The special received positive reviews with comparisons made to Christmas TV specials from the 20th century. In 2021, the special was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Contemporary Makeup.

Plot

tasks Billy (

Billy Eichner Billy Eichner (; born September 18, 1978) is an American comedian, actor, producer, and screenwriter. He is the star, executive producer, and creator of Funny Or Die's ''Billy on the Street'', a comedy game show that aired on truTV. The show ea ...

), his trusted elf-secretary, to raise everyone's spirits and make Christmas merry again. He calls Santa's friend

for help. Carey, however, is setting up Christmas in her New York City apartment with her two kids, Roc and Roe along with Little Mimi (Mykal-Michelle Harris). Little Mimi is not as enthusiastic as the other two about Christmas. Carey receives a call from Billy, who desperately pleads for her help. Carey then reveals a

sleigh A sled, skid, sledge, or sleigh is a land vehicle that slides across a surface, usually of ice or snow. It is built with either a smooth underside or a separate body supported by two or more smooth, relatively narrow, longitudinal runners s ...

behind her fireplace and flies off to help Billy ("Sleigh Ride" / "Hark! The Herald Angels Sing"). Arriving at the North Pole, Billy informs Carey that holiday cheer levels are at the lowest they have ever seen in which Carey responds that they should put on a festive Christmas concert to cheer up the world. At first Billy is skeptical that they don't have enough time, but Carey informs him of some of her achievements, stating that she would be able to handle a show. As they work together to come up with a setlist ("When Christmas Comes"), Billy informs Carey that they do not have much time. Carey rebukes the idea of schedules when

Woodstock Woodstock Music and Art Fair, commonly referred to as Woodstock, was a music festival held during August 15–18, 1969, on Max Yasgur's dairy farm in Bethel, New York, United States, southwest of the town of Woodstock, New York, Woodstock. ...

flies in. In the ''Peanuts'' segment, Linus and Charlie Brown are racking their brains trying to find out what they are missing for Christmas, only to figure out it is spending time with friends and family ("Christmas Time Is Here"). After Carey is settled into her cabin to take a rest before the concert, she sneaks off the toy factory to watch the

elves An elf () is a type of humanoid supernatural being in Germanic mythology and folklore. Elves appear especially in North Germanic mythology. They are subsequently mentioned in Snorri Sturluson's Icelandic Prose Edda. He distinguishes "ligh ...

make toys, sending Billy into a state of panic. She is joined by

and

Jermaine Dupri Jermaine Dupri Mauldin (born September 23, 1972) is an American rapper, songwriter, record producer, record executive, entrepreneur, and DJ. Early life Jermaine Dupri Mauldin was born on September 23, 1972, the son of Tina (Mosley) and Michael ...

("Oh Santa!" / "Here Comes Santa Claus (Right Down Santa Claus Lane) / House Top Celebration"). As the clock strikes six, the elves hurry out to watch a ballet performance by a

Sugar Plum Fairy ''The Nutcracker'' ( rus, Щелкунчик, Shchelkunchik, links=no ) is an 1892 two-act ballet (""; russian: балет-феерия, link=no, ), originally choreographed by Marius Petipa and Lev Ivanov with a score by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaiko ...

(

Misty Copeland Misty Danielle Copeland (born September 10, 1982) is an American ballet dancer for American Ballet Theatre (ABT), one of the three leading classical ballet companies in the United States. On June 30, 2015, Copeland became the first African Ameri ...

). Carey, however, goes out into the forest and gets lost with Billy, who went looking for her ("Christmas Time Is in the Air Again"). After taking a wrong shortcut, the two follow a star and they find their way out ("O Holy Night"). Carey wakes up in her apartment back in New York, telling Little Mimi and her kids that she was dreaming, only for Billy to reveal himself and start the Christmas concert ("Joy to the World"). Halfway through the concert, Billy accidentally cuts the power, causing Carey to sing a different song, under candlelight ("Silent Night"). After the song, Carey gives a heartwarming speech about celebrating love and light after a rough year. Christmas is saved, Carey performs an encore and Little Mimi regains her love for Christmas ("All I Want For Christmas Is You").

Cast

Amongst the cast, multiple celebrities make cameos, including

Bette Midler Bette Midler (;''Inside the Actors Studio'', 2004 born December 1, 1945) is an American singer, actress, comedian and author. Throughout her career, which spans over five decades, Midler has received List of awards and nominations received by Be ...

Heidi Klum Heidi Klum (; born 1 June 1973) is a German-American model, television host, producer, and businesswoman. She appeared on the cover of the ''Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue'' in 1998 and was the first German model to become a Victoria's Secre ...

and

Millie Bobby Brown Millie Bobby Brown (born 19 February 2004) is a British actress and producer. She gained recognition for playing Eleven in the Netflix science fiction series ''Stranger Things'' (2016–present), for which she received nominations for two Prime ...

Snoopy Snoopy is an anthropomorphic beagle in the comic strip ''Peanuts'' by Charles M. Schulz. He can also be found in all of the ''Peanuts'' films and television specials. Since his debut on October 4, 1950, Snoopy has become one of the most recog ...

Charlie Brown Charles "Charlie" Brown is the principal character of the comic strip ''Peanuts'', syndicated in daily and Sunday newspapers in numerous countries all over the world. Depicted as a "lovable loser," Charlie Brown is one of the great American ar ...

and the ''

Peanuts ''Peanuts'' is a print syndication, syndicated daily strip, daily and Sunday strip, Sunday American comic strip written and illustrated by Charles M. Schulz. The strip's original run extended from 1950 to 2000, continuing in reruns afterward. ' ...

'' Gang make appearances in a guest segment as Apple (with

Warner Bros. Television Warner Bros. Television Studios (operating under the name Warner Bros. Television; formerly known as Warner Bros. Television Division) is an American television production and distribution studio of the Warner Bros. Television Group division of ...

and

WildBrain WildBrain Ltd. (formerly known as DHX Media, Ltd.) is a Canadian media, animation studio, production, and brand licensing company, mostly associated as an entertainment company. The company is known for owning the largest library of children' ...

) has exclusive rights to ''Peanuts'' television content. Carey's children Moroccan and Monroe also make appearances.

Production

Carey originally teased the Christmas special on social media, sharing a shot of three directors chairs with her,

and

’s initials printed on them. The special was directed by Hamish Hamilton and Roman Coppola and filmed "under strict

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was COVID-19 pandemic in Hubei, identified in Wuhan, China, in December ...

protocols". In an interview with ''

The Hollywood Reporter ''The Hollywood Reporter'' (''THR'') is an American digital and print magazine which focuses on the Cinema of the United States, Hollywood film industry, film, television, and entertainment industries. It was founded in 1930 as a daily trade pap ...

'', Carey stated that the "most important thing for her in terms of a vision for the special, was that the spirit of Christmas came through during a challenging 2020 dominated by the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...

. She went on to say:

I know that for me, there's a certain spirit that happens during that time of year. I was even thinking about it the other day, sitting around wondering, why is it different for me when I look at Christmas decorations or decorate? But it is. There’s just a different feeling that I get. It's like an actual, tangible feeling that comes over me that I just want everybody to feel this happy ..I know everybody can’t, but I wish that everybody could have the mindset of let’s really make it through. Let’s be unstoppable and power through this.

Broadcast and promotion

Initially teased on social media, Carey appeared on ''

Good Morning America ''Good Morning America'' (often abbreviated as ''GMA'') is an American morning television program that is broadcast on ABC. It debuted on November 3, 1975, and first expanded to weekends with the debut of a Sunday edition on January 3, 1993. Th ...

'',

CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS, the abbreviation of its former legal name Columbia Broadcasting System, is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainm ...

and ''

The Graham Norton Show ''The Graham Norton Show'' is a British comedy chat show presented by Graham Norton. It was initially broadcast on BBC Two, from 22 February 2007, before moving to BBC One in October 2009. It currently airs on Friday evenings, with Norton s ...

'' to promote the soundtrack and the special. On ''Good Morning America'', Carey stated that the special is "a way that people can share in the holiday spirit". Two days prior to the specials release on

, Carey performed a medley of the songs, "

Heroes Heroes or Héroes may refer to: * Hero, one who displays courage and self-sacrifice for the greater good Film * ''Heroes'' (1977 film), an American drama * ''Heroes'' (2008 film), an Indian Hindi film Gaming * ''Heroes of Might and Magic'' ...

", "

Hero A hero (feminine: heroine) is a real person or a main fictional character who, in the face of danger, combats adversity through feats of ingenuity, courage, or Physical strength, strength. Like other formerly gender-specific terms (like ...

", and the 1994 version of "

Joy to the World "Joy to the World" is an English Christmas carol. The carol was written in 1719 by the English minister and hymnwriter Isaac Watts, and its lyrics are an interpretation of Psalm 98 celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ. Today, the carol is usua ...

" from her album '' Merry Christmas'', dedicated to the New York Frontline Workers. The special premiered two days later on December 4. Although Apple TV+ does not release viewership data, ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

'' and ''The Hollywood Reporter'' reported that Carey's special hit number one in more than 100 countries.

Reception

Critical reception

Upon release, ''Mariah Carey's Magical Christmas Special'' received positive reviews. The special has a rating of 86% on

Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee, and Stephen Wang ...

based on 7 reviews. On

Metacritic Metacritic is a website that review aggregator, aggregates reviews of films, TV shows, music albums, video games and formerly, books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted arithmetic mean, weighted average). M ...

, the film has a score of 8.7 out of 10 based on 6 ratings. ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...

'' wrote that Carey, "the Queen of Christmas, brings festive cheer by the bucketload" calling it a "musical extravaganza". ''

Decider Decider is both a real word and a "Bushism". It may refer to: * ''Decider'' (website), a pop culture website operated by the ''New York Post'' *'' Bill Maher: The Decider'', a stand-up comedy special * Decider (Turing machine), a Turing machine th ...

'' writer, Brett White, reviewed the special saying that "it’s been five years since Mariah Carey graced us with a full-length Christmas special ..and the world has changed a lot since

Hallmark Channel The Hallmark Channel is an American television channel owned by Crown Media Holdings, Inc., which in turn is owned by Hallmark Cards, Inc. The channel's programming is primarily targeted at families, and features a mix of television movies and ...

aired '' Mariah Carey's Merriest Christmas'' in 2015". He went on to say that the special "could only be made by a Mariah Carey who knows what her fans want from her: they want to be gagged, they want the most, they want to be bewildered, befuddled, and bewitched by the elusive chanteuse." White went on to call it a "21st century revival of the kind of holiday specials that were mainstays on TV from the '60s through the '80s, hosted by everyone from

Dean Martin Dean Martin (born Dino Paul Crocetti; June 7, 1917 – December 25, 1995) was an American singer, actor and comedian. One of the most popular and enduring American entertainers of the mid-20th century, Martin was nicknamed "The King of Cool". M ...

Dolly Parton Dolly Rebecca Parton (born January 19, 1946) is an American singer-songwriter, actress, philanthropist, and businesswoman, known primarily for her work in country music. After achieving success as a songwriter for others, Parton made her album d ...

." ''

The Detroit News ''The Detroit News'' is one of the two major newspapers in the U.S. city of Detroit, Michigan. The paper began in 1873, when it rented space in the rival ''Detroit Free Press'' building. ''The News'' absorbed the '' Detroit Tribune'' on Februa ...

'' writer, Adam Graham, gave a mixed-to-positive review stating that it was "not the tightest script that has ever been penned, but it gets Mariah to ride on a sleigh, visit a toy factory and sing her number 1 hit " All I Want for Christmas Is You" in the middle of the North Pole's town square. This is no time to worry about things like coherence and continuity". Graham went on to say that "the 44-minute musical ode to the magic of Christmas gives the holliest, jolliest diva of all a chance to parade around in a series of low-cut, cleavage-baring dresses while singing Christmas carols as wind machines blow her hair just so and her glittery eye shadow sparkles underneath the North Star". ''

Daily Titan The ''Daily Titan'' is the student newspaper published at California State University, Fullerton California State University, Fullerton (CSUF or Cal State Fullerton) is a public university in Fullerton, California. With a total enrollment of ...

'' writer, Jiyo Cayabyab, stated that with the special, "Carey carried the world into the new year by ending the year on a high note". ''

Jezebel Jezebel (;"Jezebel"
(US) and ) was the daughte ...

'' writer, Rich Juzwiak, wrote that "Carey takes flight" in the special. He went on say that "the intended audience ..is those who lavish in Carey's vast eccentricities".

ITV ITV or iTV may refer to: ITV *Independent Television (ITV), a British television network, consisting of: ** ITV (TV network), a free-to-air national commercial television network covering the United Kingdom, the Isle of Man, and the Channel Islan ...

writer, Emily Baker, gave the special four stars, calling the special "campy and jubilant, with lot of heart" and that "this was Carey in her absolute element". Baker went on to praise Carey's humour, saying that her "showmanship is second-to-none; her dedication to create joy and mesmerising performances are well documented; but what she never gets enough credit for is her sense of humour".

Actors response

Actress Tiffany Haddish praised the work Carey put in behind the scenes. She stated that while she "was watching Mariah, hewished hehad some eggnog" calling the experience "magical". Grande also expressed her adoration on social media for getting to work with Carey on "Oh Santa!", sharing an old tweet of Grande saying "Mariah Carey I love you". Despite initial comparisons at the beginning of her career, Grande went on to praise Carey a month later on her

Netflix Netflix, Inc. is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and production company based in Los Gatos, California. Founded in 1997 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph in Scotts Valley, California, it offers a fil ...

documentary, '' Ariana Grande: Excuse Me, I Love You''. Grande broke in tears saying that "It just means a lot to hear from her because my sound was so influenced by her and the 90's pop sound".

Accolades

Soundtrack

''Mariah Carey's Magical Christmas Special (Apple TV+ Original Soundtrack)'' is the third

Christmas album Christmas music comprises a variety of genres of music regularly performed or heard around the Christmas season. Music associated with Christmas may be purely instrumental, or, in the case of carols or songs, may employ lyrics whose subject ma ...

and second

soundtrack album A soundtrack album is any album that incorporates music directly recorded from the soundtrack of a particular feature film or television show. The first such album to be commercially released was Walt Disney's ''Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs'' ...

by American singer-songwriter and producer Mariah Carey. The soundtrack featured a variety of musical guests, including

and

, and also included a brand new rendition of

Leroy Anderson Leroy Anderson ( ) (June 29, 1908 – May 18, 1975) was an American composer of short, light concert pieces, many of which were introduced by the Boston Pops Orchestra under the direction of Arthur Fiedler. John Williams described him as ...

's "

Sleigh Ride "Sleigh Ride" is a light orchestra standard composed by Leroy Anderson. The composer had formed the original idea for the piece during a heat wave in July 1946, and he finished the work in February 1948. The original recordings were instrumental ...

". The soundtrack was released exclusively on

and

iTunes Store The iTunes Store is a digital media store operated by Apple Inc. It opened on April 28, 2003, as a result of Steve Jobs' push to open a digital marketplace for music. As of April 2020, iTunes offered 60 million songs, 2.2 million apps, 25,00 ...

on December 4, 2020, and was later released on all other platforms on December 11, 2020.

Singles

The only single from the soundtrack, a re-recorded version of Carey's original Christmas song "

Oh Santa! "Oh Santa!" is a song by American singer and songwriter Mariah Carey from her second Christmas album and thirteenth studio album, ''Merry Christmas II You'' (2010). Carey wrote and produced the song in collaboration with Jermaine Dupri and Brya ...

", originally released in 2010 as the lead single from Carey's second Christmas album ''

Merry Christmas II You ''Merry Christmas II You'' is the thirteenth studio album and second Christmas album by American singer-songwriter Mariah Carey. It was released by Island Records on November 2, 2010. Recording began in April 2010 and continued while Carey becam ...

'', was released across all platforms on December 4. The new version includes Grande and Hudson as featured artists. The song was received with high praise, and was described as a "girl group moment". The song peaked at number 76 on the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100, surpassing the original version's peak of number 100; and also charted in several European countries, including Germany, Sweden and the United Kingdom.

Critical reception

When released, the soundtrack received generally positive reviews. Brett White of Decider praised Carey and Grande's "harmonized whistle tones". He went on to praise the performances which "range from sincerely great (Carey’s girl group number with Hudson and Grande is such a joy) to the completely unexpected (a Mariah/Peanuts mash-up—sure!) to the confounding. This special goes from Snoop Dogg rapping directly into

twirling to a version of "

Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy ''The Nutcracker'' ( rus, Щелкунчик, Shchelkunchik, links=no ) is an 1892 two-act ballet (""; russian: балет-феерия, link=no, ), originally choreographed by Marius Petipa and Lev Ivanov with a score by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaiko ...

" headlined by Mariah's iconic whistle tone. It’s pure merry madness". Adam Graham, writer for ''

'', called the soundtrack "wholesome and kid-friendly, an ode to Christmas specials of yore and delivered with a knowing wink and a nod".

Commercial performance

In the United States, the soundtrack album debuted at number three on the ''Billboard'' Soundtrack Albums chart. It became her first top-three hit on the chart since her eighth studio album ''

Glitter Glitter is an assortment of small, reflective particles that come in a variety of shapes, sizes, and colors. Glitter particles reflect light at different angles, causing the surface to sparkle or shimmer. Glitter is similar to confetti, sparkle ...

'' (2001), a soundtrack from the film of the same name, which reached number one. The album also debuted at number 100 on the ''Billboard'' 200 chart. The soundtrack also reached the top-ten on the UK Soundtrack Albums chart. Carey's rendition of "

" reached 25 on the US

R&B/Hip-Hop Digital Songs The ''Billboard'' charts tabulate the relative weekly popularity of songs and albums in the United States and elsewhere. The results are published in ''Billboard'' magazine. ''Billboard'' biz, the online extension of the ''Billboard'' charts, pr ...

chart. Her 2021 re-recording of " All I Want for Christmas Is You", called the "Magical Christmas Mix" version, also charted at number 25 on the US Holiday Digital Songs.

Track listing

Credits adapted from

Tidal Tidal is the adjectival form of tide. Tidal may also refer to: * ''Tidal'' (album), a 1996 album by Fiona Apple * Tidal (king), a king involved in the Battle of the Vale of Siddim * TidalCycles, a live coding environment for music * Tidal (servic ...

. Notes * signifies a co-producer

Charts

''The Magic Continues''

In 2021, Apple TV+ released a follow up special titled ''Mariah's Christmas: The Magic Continues''. The 18 minute special featured performances of "

Fall in Love at Christmas "Fall in Love at Christmas" is a holiday song by American musicians Mariah Carey, Khalid, and Kirk Franklin. It was released on November 5, 2021, and was written by the artists and Daniel Moore II, who produced it with Carey and Franklin. The s ...

", "

Christmas (Baby Please Come Home) "Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)" is a pop song originally sung by Darlene Love and included on the 1963 seasonal compilation album, ''A Christmas Gift for You from Phil Spector''. The song was written by Ellie Greenwich, Jeff Barry, and Phil S ...

" and an interview with

Zane Lowe Alexander Zane Reid Lowe (born 7 August 1973) is a New Zealand radio DJ, live DJ, record producer, and television presenter. After an early career in music creation, production and DJing, he moved to the UK in 1997. He came to prominence thro ...

. The special was executive produced by Carey, Tim Case, Charleen Manca, and Matthew Turke and directed by

Joseph Kahn Joseph Kahn may refer to: *Joseph Kahn (director) (born 1972), a film and music video director *Joseph Kahn (journalist) (born 1964), American journalist * Joseph Kahn (shipping executive) (1916–1979), American businessman See also *Joseph Hahn ...

Notes

References

External links

*
Mariah Carey's Magical Christmas Special
' on

* {{Apple TV+ 2020 television specials 2020 in American television 2020s American television specials American Christmas television specials Apple TV+ original films Mariah Carey